The problem / intent

Switching from one environment to another looses the activity context. This is a source of confusion. Often learners are bemused by the need to transform the task from one representational framework to another. These leads to a loss of time on a cause that rarely contributes to the learning experiments.

The context

mathematical content	content domain: any; target audience: 11-15 or higher. With younger children it is best to avoid context switch altogether; Skill Domain: any;
Learning and Instruction	Mathematical content: typically embedded in toy or embedded in rules;
Interface and interaction	user interface: typically mixed mode of manipulation; accessibility: need to ensure both environments are accessible to all users;
Software Design	Platform: mixed. this is the main issue this pattern addresses.

The pattern

Switching context looses the thread of activity. Learners need to reconstruct a representation of the task in a new environment. This adds on to the general disorientation of shifting from one language to another. Sometimes, mapping an idea to a new representation is a worthy learning experience in its own right. If this is the case, then it needs to be made explicit. More often, it is an obstacle in the way of the main task. In such cases:

• Create a metaphoric (iconic) representation which allows you to refer to an object in environment A from environment B.
• Make the iconic representation a control in environment A which invokes its referred object in the environment B.
• Create a convention for representing tasks which uses the iconic representation above.
• When describing the task in environment B, accompany the description with an iconic representation of the same task in environment A.
• Instruct users to invoke this representation to transfer themselves, with the task, from environment B to A.
  

Related patterns

Leads to: pattern a, pattern b. Patterns the user should consider after using this one.
Follows: Active worksheet, Objects to talk with
Elaborates:
Elaborated by: More specific patterns which implement abstract elements of this one.

Notes

Examples

The WebReports system employed Active worksheets which included ToonTalk boxes. These encapsulated programming tasks which learners were instructed to do in the worksheet text.


Figure 1: Example ToonTalk 'task in a box' from the WebLabs project